Published : 11 Aug 2025, 08:19 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:38 PM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has arrived in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur on a three-day visit aimed at “deepening” bilateral relations.
Migration and investment issues are expected to feature prominently during the trip, with five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) scheduled to be signed to advance cooperation.
According to the Chief Advisor’s Office (CAO), the interim prime minister touched down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7:50pm local time on Monday aboard a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.
On the first day of the visit, Yunus will be accorded a guard of honour.
Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will welcome him.
On Tuesday, delegations from both countries will hold bilateral talks at the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya.
The discussions will be followed by delegation-level talks and the signing of MoUs.
At a press conference on Sunday at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shah Asif Rahman outlined the visit’s agenda.
He said both sides will discuss recruiting more Bangladeshi workers across different sectors in Malaysia, including high-skilled roles, and ensure improved conditions for migrant workers.
The five MoUs expected to be signed cover defence cooperation, energy cooperation, formation of business councils between the FBCCI and NCCIM, cooperation between BMCCI and Malaysia’s MIMOS, and cooperation between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and the Malaysian Institute of Strategic and International Studies, he added.
Asif also noted the possibility of three “exchanges of notes” on cooperation in the halal ecosystem, higher education, and diplomatic training.
After the bilateral meeting, the two leaders will address a press conference before attending a state luncheon in honour of Yunus.
In the afternoon, Yunus will join a business forum and later meet with expatriate Bangladeshis in Malaysia.
On Aug 13, the final day of the trip, the chief advisor will pay a courtesy call on Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, the Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan and chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Yunus will receive an honorary doctorate from the university and deliver a commemorative address to students.
During the visit, discussions will also cover trade and investment expansion, energy cooperation, the halal economy, the semiconductor industry, agriculture, education and public diplomacy.
Bangladesh’s application to become an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner and to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will be strongly emphasised, he said.
Dhaka will also urge Malaysia and other ASEAN members to take a more active role in facilitating the repatriation of the Rohingya.
“The foreign ministry believes that this visit will play an important role in elevating the existing bilateral and economic relations with Malaysia to a new level,” Asif said.
